The present invention relates generally to database systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for managing license objects to applications in an application platform.
Previous systems and methods have been developed for managing custom objects to applications in an application platform that associates data from a computer database. Computer databases, however, are plagued by numerous problems in general. Each organization, business, or agency, installs its own copy of the database. It was not long, however, before users wished to add their own custom objects and applications to their database in addition to the standard objects and standard applications already provided.
The desire for customization lead to disparate schema, an organization of the types of information being stored in the database, as well as applications relying upon that schema being implemented by different users. Disparate schema, in turn blocked any hope of users in different organizations of sharing information or applications among one another. As a result, systems, mechanisms and methods of creating, exporting, viewing and testing, and importing custom applications in a multi-tenant environment were subsequently provided.
In a multi-tenant application platform, subscribers wish to download and license customized applications from a partner organization wherein the customized applications have been created by third party developers updating standard database objects and applications with new features. However, licensors of the database objects and applications need to manage and audit such use according to a predetermined user defined set of workflow rules. For example, if a subscriber wishes to purchase ten user seat licenses of a particular application, the licensor would like to monitor or prohibit any use in excess of the contracted limits. Existing systems in such a multi-tenant application platform provide manual means of enforcement for such licensing paradigms, leading to expensive intellectual property enforcement.
A new method and system for managing notification to a licensor of both custom and standard applications in a multi-tenant platform environment is therefore needed. A method and system of providing such notification of a licensor by modifying a license object and creating a license manager automated application is further needed.